Nick Cannon Sets off Racial Controversy

Nick Cannon has an upcoming album entitled White People Party Music which is setting off some racial controversy before its release. The America’s Got Talent host has created a character for the promotion of the album, named Connor Smallnut.

Cannon, since the DJ-turned-host posted a picture on instagram, has been getting a lot of heat from Cannon’s depiction of a white stereotype. With white make-up, wig, grey beanie and a pair of false teeth, Cannon completed the look with jeans straight from the 80’s and a white t-shirt. The image was posted with the caption “It’s official…I’m white!” Along with the title of the album and the release date which is set for April 1. “Dude Go Get It! Join The Party!” Cannon added.

In foresight of the coming social media onslaught, Cannon added a picture of Robert Downey Jr.’s character from Tropic Thunder, where the Ironman actor was transformed into an African-American. Cannon wrote a caption expressing that Downey’s character was one of Cannon’s all time favorites and that the host thought it to be “Hilarious! There is a big difference between Humor and Hatred.”

Before Nick Cannon posted the picture that set off racial controversy all over the social media networks, Mariah Carey’s husband had an interview with Us Weekly. Conducting the interview was Ian Drew, the Entertainment Director with US Weekly. “You go to a party and white people are having more fun than anybody,” said Cannon. “They know how to have a good time! I could have named the album Purple People Party Music,” continued Cannon, “and you’d still get the same album, but it was just one of those things.” The new father of twins explained, “You know, you deal with things like race, and people get uptight, so why not?” By all the comments and media meltdown, one could only agree that, yes, indeed people do get uptight.

Cannon spells out for the public just how the title White People Party Music had been born. As a DJ, Cannon says that all of the singers musical library had to be broken down into crates, with each crate having a label. “I had all these crates, and thought about mixing them from Dirty South to Midwest, and one crate is called White People Party Music.” The America’s Got Talent host continued, “It’s hilarious! When I came up with that title, I thought I have to name my album that. I just kind of stuck with it from there.”

The one person we have not heard from is Cannon’s diva wife, Mariah Carey. The once American Idol judge has not yet commented on the labels that Cannon is getting on the web. Cannon is being called “ignorant”, racist” and even “hypocritical” since the persona of Connor Smallnut made its video debut over the weekend. The 33-year-old has since tweeted to all the haters and critics, “Duuuude everybody Chil-lax!!!” and then signed it Connor Smallnut.

Though the publicity stunt comes a week before the albums release, Nick Cannon has set off racial controversy in a big way. Like the DJ said in the instagram post, there is a difference between humor and hatred. The question is if everyone knows just exactly what that difference is.